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4.9.11

How to make Germknoedel

I don't know exactly why but a few days ago I felt like making Germknoedel for some friends who came over for a late breakfast. I only know Germknoedel from skiing holidays in Austria so it's a bit of a mystery to me why now I craved Germknoedel, it's not even cold enough in Sydney for it, but well.
I used a recipe from about.com and they came out very nicely and are also nice without snow :-). Because they are quite filling we only ate 4 and so I put the other ones in the freezer before steaming them. When I made the frozen ones I noticed that they aren't as fluffy as the fresh ones after steaming so I would probably rather make them from scratch.

Here is the recipe (from about.com):
Like Dampfnudeln, Austrian Germknödel are a "Mehlspeise" or
flour-based meal served in German-speaking households for lunch. "Germ"
is the Austrian word for yeast and these yeasted dumplings hide a
surprise inside. A spoonful of "Powidl", plum butter, is placed on the dough, which is then formed into a ball.
Served either with melted butter or vanilla sauce and poppy seeds
crushed with sugar, Germknödel are popular at Austrian ski resorts. Try
these dumplings on a cold day, after a bowl of vegetable soup for a
delightful meal.

Makes 16 medium dumplings, or 8 servings.

Prep Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 60 minutes

Ingredients:

***Dumplings***

1 package instant yeast (7g)

3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (500 grams)

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 T. vanilla sugar or sugar plus 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

5 T. butter, softened

1 c. lukewarm milk

***Filling***

3/4 c. Powidl or plum jam

1 T. rum (optional)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

***Topping***

1/3 c. poppy seeds

1/3 c. sugar

Preparation:

Start the dough:
Mix the instant yeast with the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest
and salt. Add the softened butter, egg and milk and mix, using a dough
hook or with a spoon by hand, until a medium-soft dough forms.
If you are using a mixer with a dough hook, you can continue kneading
in the bowl with the hook until the dough is smooth and elastic. Adjust
flour or milk as needed to make a pliable, but not sticky dough.
If you are making the dough by hand, turn it out on a lightly floured
board and knead for several minutes, until smooth and elastic. If dough
is too stiff, knead with wet hands until it becomes softer.
Form the dough into a ball, flour lightly and place in a bowl to
double in a warm place. Cover with a clean towel. Let it rise about 1
hour, or until doubled in size. The dough made with instant yeast might
rise faster.Make filling: If you are adding rum and / or cinnamon to the
jam, stir it together now. You may use any jam flavor or cherries or
Nutella, too.Form dumplings: Remove your dough from the bowl to a lightly
floured board. Pinch off 2 ounce pieces (50-60 grams) You may make them
larger, but they will take longer to steam.

Roll the pieces into a ball and then flatten them with your palm to form 4 inch circles (10 cm).
Add 2 teaspoons of jam to the center and then pull up opposite sides
and pinch closed. Pinch the other two sides closed and make sure the jam
is well-sealed inside the dough. Roll the dumplings bit in your hands
to round up the dumpling.
Set dumplings on the floured board, sprinkle with flour if you wish, and cover with a cloth. Let sit 10 - 20 minutes.Prepare your steamer: My "Silit" pressure cooker came with a
steamer insert which I greased and used for 3 dumplings at a time. You
could also use a bamboo steamer set up that they have for woks (to make
dim sum) or the metal vegetable steamer covered with a cotton cloth cut
to fit.
Place 1 to 2 inches in the pan, hang the steamer over the water and bring the whole thing to a boil (you will need a lid, too).Steam: Place dumplings on steamer over boiling water, leaving
about 1 inch of room to rise in all directions. Cover pan and steam 20
minutes.Make topping: Grind equal amounts of poppy seeds and sugar in a poppy seed grinder or a blade coffee grinder. Set aside.Serve: Place 1 or 2 dumplings on a plate and pour melted butter over the top. Sprinkle poppy mixture over top, as much as you wish.
You may also make vanilla sauce while you are waiting for the dough
to rise. Pour vanilla sauce and poppy mixture over the top when you are
ready.

Kristin in short

Having started with an internship at "FürSie" in 1996 my work (check my portfoliohere) in the world of food styling, recipe development and advertising for culinary delights has given me the opportunity to get to know and work with such people as Jamie Oliver, Neil Perry, Bill Granger , Peggy Porschen or Kylie Kwong. After spending wonderful and exciting years at Brigitte, I decided to leave German shores for Sydney - a truly marvelous place if you are a foodie like me.